You're probably familiar with the symptoms of SSS: garments that
look shiny and hard pressed when they come back from the
cleaners.

So what causes of SSS?

The
answer is not complicated ...

Your clothes look shiny and hard-pressed because they've been
pressed by machine, with way too much pressure, using
way too much steam, at way too high a
temperature, for way too long.

At a true quality cleaner, you won't find those common "bang and
hang" machine pressing practices typically found at ordinary
cleaners: shine; seam, flap and button impressions; moire-like
press pad impressions; double creases; wrinkled seams and linings;
and other "crimes of fashion".

Instead,
your fine garments will be delicately finished. By a skilled
garment finisher. The old-fashioned way. By hand. Using a hand
iron. Both inside and out. No matter how long it might take.

A true quality cleaner has even got different finishing
stations, equipped with different types of finishing pads, adjusted
to different pressures, equipped with hand irons set at different
temperatures, and staffed by finishers with different skills, to
accommodate different categories of garments and even different
types of fabrics within a specific category of garments.

To understand this nuance, you must first recognize that
ordinary cleaners typically employ only two types of presses in
their dryclean operations: pant presses (slacks, trousers and
shorts) and utility presses (blouses, shirts, blazers, sport coats,
dresses, skirts, sweaters, etc.).

Moreover, most ordinary
cleaners cross train their pressers to be "jacks of all trades". So
a presser may press slacks, trousers and shorts for 5 hours, and
blouses, shirts, blazers, sport coats, dresses, skirts and sweaters
for the rest of the day. Or their "stain removal technician" will
load and unload their dryclean machine, and press slacks, trousers
and shorts in between loads.

A true quality cleaner would never permit such cross
utilization.

For example, a garment finisher who specializes in slacks, trousers
and shorts would never be assigned a sport coat or a dress.

Why?

Because skilled finishing is all about technique. And few
finishers -- even highly skilled finishers -- have developed their
technique to the point that would allow them to move seamlessly
between different categories of garments. (Please note that
"technique" does not equate to "experience". Many pressers with
many years of experience have zero technique.)

Not only that, but a true quality cleaner has
different finishing stations to accommodate different fabrics
within a specific category of garments. For example, a garment
finisher who specializes in cotton/linen slacks, trousers and
shorts would never be assigned a wool, silk, poly, acetate or rayon
slacks, trousers or shorts.

Why?

Because cotton/linen pant presses are equipped with a "harder"
pad, are adjusted to a higher pressure, are equipped with hand
irons set at higher temperatures, and requires a hand finisher with
a "stronger arm". By contrast, wool, silk, poly, acetate and rayon
pant presses are equipped with a "soft" pad, are adjusted to a
negligible pressure, are equipped with hand irons set at lower
temperatures, and requires a hand finisher with a "delicate
touch".

At a true quality cleaner anything less is simply
unacceptable.

"Pressing", as practiced by ordinary cleaners, is such a poor
descriptor of the art of finishing. Of course, a skilled finisher
must know how to apply pressure to achieve a smooth finish on a
linen or cotton. But a smooth, soft, hand-finish, that
minimizes the possibility of shine or seam, flap or button
impressions, best defines the finest professional finishing.

If you're looking for validation of this point of view, just
broach the subject of "pressing" with any custom tailor and watch
their blood pressure rise.